Authority: IC 14-10-2-1; IC 14-10-2-4; IC 14-11-2-1; IC 14-19-1-1

Affected: IC 14-19-1-1; IC 14-22-11-1

Sec. 8. (a) A person must not operate a vehicle:

1. (1) at a speed greater than:

   1. (A) thirty (30) miles per hour on straight, open stretches of road; or
   2. (B) fifteen (15) miles per hour on steep grades or curves or where posted; or
2. (2) except as provided in section 17 of this rule, other than on a public road.

(b) A person must not park:

1. (1) a vehicle;
2. (2) a boat; or
3. (3) associated equipment;

except at a site designated by the department.

(c) A person must not operate a motorized cart on DNR property unless:

1. (1) the person is using the motorized cart within a campground and:

   1. (A) meets the requirements set forth in IC 14-19-1-1(2)(A);
   2. (B) meets the requirements set forth in IC 14-19-1-1(2)(B); or
   3. (C) holds a valid driver's license and is transporting another person as authorized under clause (A) or (B);

2. (2) the motorized cart, if operated between the hours of sunset and sunrise, has a lamp on the:

   1. (A) front exhibiting a white light visible at least five hundred (500) feet ahead of the motorized cart; and
   2. (B) rear exhibiting a red light visible at least five hundred (500) feet behind the motorized cart; and
3. (3) the operator of the motorized cart complies with all restrictions applicable to the operation, parking, or other use of a vehicle under this section.

(d) Unless an activity is licensed or exempted from licensure under this rule, a person must not do the following:

1. (1) Leave the designated pathway for a trail while moving cross-country.

2. (2) Except on a trail designated for the purpose:

   1. (A) hike;
   2. (B) bike;
   3. (C) ski;
   4. (D) horseback ride; or
   5. (E) operate an off-road vehicle or snowmobile.
3. (3) Except where designated by the department, ride, lead, drive, or hitch an animal.

(e) A person must not launch, dock, or moor a boat, except:

1. (1) for approved periods; and
2. (2) at sites designated by the department for those purposes.

(f) A person must not:

1. (1) leave a boat unattended in a courtesy dock provided by the department; or
2. (2) moor a boat at a designated group dock or mooring post unless the boat exhibits a valid mooring permit.

(g) A person must not operate or maintain a boat on a lake unless the person does each of the following:

1. (1) Operates the boat according to the horsepower or speed restrictions applicable to the lake.

2. (2) Except as provided in subdivisions (3) and (6), obtains and displays a valid annual boat lake permit as follows:

   1. (A) Purchase from the department a boat lake permit under a fee schedule approved by the commission.
   2. (B) Affix the permit in a visible location on the forward half of the boat.

3. (3) Except as provided in subdivision (6), for a motorboat, obtains and displays a valid annual motorboat lake permit as follows:

   1. (A) Purchase from the department a motorboat lake permit under a fee schedule approved by the commission.
   2. (B) Affix the permit in a visible location on the port (left) side immediately following the excise tax decal or registration number.

4. (4) For a lake containing fewer than three hundred (300) acres, operates a motorboat only if the motorboat is either of the following:

   1. (A) Powered by an electric trolling motor with not more than:

      1. (i) two (2) 12-volt batteries; or
      2. (ii) one (1) 24-volt battery.
   2. (B) Operated on Loon Lake, Otter Lake, or Blue Grass Pit in the Blue Grass Fish and Wildlife Area at not greater than idle speed.
5. (5) Removes a boat from the lake before the expiration of fourteen (14) consecutive days, unless the boat is moored in an area where the department has approved mooring for a longer duration.
6. (6) A lake located on a DNR property administered by the division of fish and wildlife is exempted from subdivisions (2) and (3).

(h) A person must not leave a vehicle, a boat, or associated equipment at a DNR property unless the person is actively engaged in the use of:

1. (1) a DNR property; or

2. (2) an adjacent:

   1. (A) public freshwater lake; or
   2. (B) navigable waterway.

(i) A person must not:

1. (1) land, taxi, take off, park, or moor an airborne human transportation device; or
2. (2) knowingly land, taxi, take off, park, or moor on DNR property an unmanned motor-driven airborne device.

(j) A person may operate a class 1 electric bicycle on a trail designated by the department as a mountain bike trail.

(Natural Resources Commission; 312 IAC 8-2-8; filed Oct 28, 1998, 3:32 p.m.: 22 IR 741, eff Jan 1, 1999; filed Nov 5, 1999, 10:14 a.m.: 23 IR 555, eff Jan 1, 2000; filed Jun 17, 2002, 4:13 p.m.: 25 IR 3715; readopted filed Nov 17, 2004, 11:00 a.m.: 28 IR 1315; filed Sep 14, 2005, 2:45 p.m.: 29 IR 463, eff Jan 1, 2006; filed Jun 9, 2006, 3:40 p.m.: 20060705-IR-312050344FRA; filed Jun 29, 2007, 2:32 p.m.: 20070725-IR-312060333FRA; readopted filed Mar 25, 2010, 2:58 p.m.: 20100421-IR-312100037RFA; filed Aug 18, 2011, 11:38 a.m.: 20110914-IR- 312100668FRA; filed Feb 6, 2012, 3:07 p.m.: 20120307-IR-312110442FRA, eff Jan 1, 2013; filed Feb 11, 2014, 3:12 p.m.: 20140312-IR-312130294FRA; readopted filed Sep 27, 2016, 1:57 p.m.: 20161026-IR-312160151RFA; filed Feb 28, 2018, 9:40 a.m.: 20180328-IR-312170052FRA; readopted filed Sep 28, 2022, 8:20 a.m.: 20221026-IR-312220242RFA; filed Jan 25, 2024, 1:33 p.m.: 20240221-IR-312230538FRA; errata filed Mar 18, 2026, 9:59 a.m.: 20260325-IR-312260094ACA)